page_title: Dietary biology of the golden eagle
section_title: Relationships with carnivorous mammals
hierarchical_section_title: Dietary biology of the golden eagle / Prey / Interspecific predatory relationships / Relationships with carnivorous mammals
caption_attribution_description: Bild aus Seite 685 in "Die Gartenlaube". Image from page 685 of journal Die Gartenlaube, 1887. Deutsch: Bildunterschrift: „Steinadler mit Beute.“ English: caption: "Steinadler mit Beute."
context_page_description: The golden eagle is one of the most powerful predators in the avian world. One author described it as "the pre-eminent diurnal predator of medium-sized birds and mammals in open country throughout the Northern Hemisphere". Golden eagles usually hunt during daylight hours, but were recorded hunting from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset during the breeding season in southwestern Idaho. The hunting success rate of golden eagles was calculated in Idaho, showing that, out of 115 hunting attempts, 20% were successful in procuring prey. A fully-grown golden eagle requires about 230 to 250 g of food per day. In the life of most eagles, there are cycles of feast and famine, and eagles have been known to go without food for up to a week. Following these periods without food, they will then gorge on up to 900 g at one sitting. The powerful talons of the golden eagle ensure that few prey can escape them once contact is made. The talons of this species exert approximately 440 pounds per square inch of pressure, around 15 times more pressure than is exerted by the human hand, although some claim that the largest individual females may reach a pressure of 750 psi.
context_section_description: Mammalian carnivores are potential competitors with golden eagles for food. Foxes may prey on the same species in a given area but, as they are occasionally hunted by the eagles and are mainly nocturnal, they tend to avoid direct conflicts. Though rare, golden eagles may sometimes pirate prey from various species of fox. In North America, coyotes (Canis latrans) may engage in agonistic interactions with golden eagles. Despite being around three times as heavy, lone coyotes are seemingly dominated by golden eagles at many carrion or kill sites. In the Greater Yellowstone, golden eagles were ranked as the second most dominant scavenger at wolf kills during winter (when bears are hibernating) after coyote packs but above bald eagles. In one instance, a healthy adult male coyote was attacked and killed by a golden eagle. This coyote weighed 13.5 kg (30 lb) after the eagle had consumed some of its internal organs. Conflicts between golden eagles and Scottish wildcats have been reported on rare occasions. In one instance, a golden eagle trying to hunt some wildcat kittens was intercepted by the mother wildcat. In the ensuing violent battle, the wildcat mother and the eagle both died. In Northern California, golden eagles have pirated lambs killed by bobcats, a species which has itself occasionally turned up in the eagle's diet. Per one anecdote from the Himalayas, a golden eagle reportedly tried to predaceously attack a snow leopard (Panthera uncia) and was killed by the much larger felid, although this could have actually been a case of an overly bold eagle trying to displace a large predator from its own home range. Adult wolverines appear to be one of the few conspecific mammal carnivores to actively pose a threat to golden eagles. Wolverines were observed to prey on nestling golden eagles in Denali National Park. During incubation in Northern Sweden, an incubating adult golden eagle was killed on its nest by a wolverine. In Yellowstone National Park, one prey item amongst 473 recorded for cougars (Puma concolor) was a golden eagle, although no details of the attack or of the age of the bird were reported. Grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) have also reportedly killed and eaten golden eagle nestlings in Denali National Park. The grizzly is reportedly one of the few mammals to trigger a strong aggressive reaction from the parent eagles when spotted close to the nest, as eagles have been observed to strike the bruins about the head and neck with their talons.
caption: An inaccurately rendered but striking golden eagle in battle with a red fox
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